title: Does side matter? Effect of single lung transplant laterality on outcomes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous works have suggested that recipients of left single lung transplant (SLT) have a worse outcome than those receiving right SLT. We evaluated the effect of SLT laterality on outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective study of SLT recipients followed up at our center. One hundred and nineteen patients were reviewed (53 left SLT, 66 right SLT). We extracted data on lung function, exercise capacity, relative graft perfusion, airway complications, acute rejection episodes, infections and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference between right and left lung recipients with regard to baseline demographic and physiological characteristics. Lung function, exercise capacity and relative graft perfusion improved in both groups following transplantation. We observed a higher graft perfusion in right-sided grafts compared to left ( P = 0.048). There was no significant difference between the two groups in physiological outcomes, rejection or infection episodes, the presence of chronic rejection or mortality. We observed a statistically higher need for bronchial stent insertion during early follow-up amongst the left lung recipients ( P = 0.022).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both right and left lungs are equally suitable for transplantation. The left-sided bronchial anastomosis may be more vulnerable to complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tiqwa, Israel.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ben Nachum
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Moreh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Raviv
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bakal
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shitrit
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Fox
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D005080:Exercise Test; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000209:etiology; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016040:Lung Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome